


What if We Stopped Pretending?

by Full_Moon_Lover



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9565490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Full_Moon_Lover/pseuds/Full_Moon_Lover
Summary: Dan and Phil are the best of friends. That's it. Until Phil tells his old school friends he's bringing his boyfriend to the school reunion even though he's been single for years. If only he had a best friend willing to pretend to be his boyfriend in order to help him out...Dan helps Phil out by pretending to be his boyfriend while also hiding the fact that he's been in love with his best friend for seven years.





	

**Author's Note:**

> And here it is! I've been promising to get this done on Tumblr for days but with exams, assignments and life, it took me a little longer than planned. It's finally here though and it's over 6k words long! I hope you enjoy it :)

Phil felt like a complete idiot. He could barely believe that he had just agreed to go to his school reunion with his boyfriend when he couldn’t even remember the last time he dated anyone. And it’s not as if he could call back and say he had made up a boyfriend up without sounding like a bigger loser than he actually was. 

He usually wasn’t the kind of person to worry much about what others thought about him and had no trouble letting people know he was single and in no rush to get together with someone. The problem was that he had already been to another two school reunions in total and he had shown up alone for them as well.

Every time, he had to stand by and feel awkward while his old schoolmates introduced him to their partners and spouses while he was all alone.

When he got the call from one of his old friends asking him if he was going to go to the reunion, he couldn’t help but think back to all the previous reunions he had attended. Was he really going to go by himself again for the third time and have to go through the process of being introduced to all his friends’ new husbands and wives while he just stood around feeling lonely?

As much as this sort of thing had never really affected him before, he wasn’t really in the mood for all the awkwardness that it would entail for him to show up on his own. He almost declined the invitation and made up some excuse about how he was going to be abroad in a few days but thought better of it in the end.

It had been ages since he had seen his old schoolmates and, even though they were not as close as they had been while they were still in school, he still missed them. Was he really going to miss a reunion because he was scared of feeling awkward and alone?

Just as he was about to say yes and reassure his friend that he would be there, she let him know that he could bring along a plus one. “Everyone from our group at school is going to bring their partner. It will be a good chance to catch up on each other’s lives.”

Phil was going to tell her that he would be going on his own, he really was but somehow what ended up coming out of his mouth was completely different. “That sounds great. I’ll make sure to bring my boyfriend along with me.”

Before Phil had the chance to go back on his words and make up some kind of excuse, his friend was happily telling him that she had listed him down as attending and made sure to note down that he will be bringing a plus one. 

It wasn’t until he hung up that he truly realised the mess he had just found himself into. Where was he supposed to find a boyfriend in time for the reunion in three days? It wasn’t as if he could find some complete stranger and he didn’t feel like he was close enough to anyone to ask them to pretend to be his boyfriend.

At least, that’s what he thought until Dan walked into his room looking for his charger and Phil thought of the perfect way he was going to get out of the mess he had created. “Dan!” he shouted, surprising his friend enough for him to drop his charger. “I need a huge favour.”

Dan must have noticed the clearly panicked look on Phil’s face because for once he didn’t jokingly snap at him over the fright he had just given him. “What’s up?” he asked instead, looking curious.

Now that it came to actually explaining his situation, Phil wasn’t really sure of how he was going to go about explaining himself. How does one ask his best friend to pretend to be his boyfriend for a school reunion without making it weird?

He couldn’t think of the right way to explain the situation without sounding silly and almost decided to forget about it when another thought came into his head. Who was he going to find that knows him enough to be able to pretend to be his boyfriend other than Dan? His best friend knew him more than he knew himself. Not to mention that there were more than enough people thinking they were dating so Phil had no doubt they would have no problem convincing his old school mates.

“Do you have anything to do in three days?” he asked, trying to seem casual. It must not have worked as well as he hoped since Dan was now looking at him in suspicion.

“Not really, no. Why?”

It was now or never. Phil could keep on beating around the bush for as long as he wanted but that wasn’t going to make Dan any more likely to help him out than if he just spit it out. “I’ve been invited to a school reunion in three days and I might have said that I’m going to bring my boyfriend along even though I have no boyfriend. Will you please come with me and pretend to be my boyfriend so that I don’t make a complete fool of myself at the reunion?”

He had expected many different reactions from Dan. Maybe he would call him a complete idiot (which he was), or maybe he would tell him that there’s no way in hell he was going to pretend to be his boyfriend (which was perfectly understandable). What he didn’t expect was for Dan to burst out laughing as if the situation was hilarious.

Phil was failing to see what was so funny about it. He had failed to keep his mouth shut and somehow convinced his friends that he was going to show up with a boyfriend. Then he had been reduced to the point where he had to ask his best friend to be his boyfriend. It was not funny; it was pathetic.

“What the hell are you laughing about? I’m being completely serious right now.’”

Dan finally seemed to calm himself down from his laughing fit and looked at Phil with amusement. “Why the hell did you tell them you have a boyfriend when you haven’t even dated anyone in the past two years?” he asked shaking his head.

Phil didn’t exactly have an answer. He really did not want to admit out loud that it was because he was jealous. All his old friends were off falling in love and getting married and here he was, alone as ever. He could barely even remember the last time he had been on a date.

He wasn’t proud of himself but, in the end, he settled on a little white lie that was more likely to get Dan to agree to helping him out than the truth would. “Remember Roy? The guy who was always picking on me? Well, he’s going to be there. I don’t want to give him more reasons to pick on me so I made up the story about having a boyfriend.”

Even though a part of him felt guilty for blatantly lying to Dan like this, he didn’t really regret it since his best friend was now looking at him in sympathy. Maybe this whole thing could work out after all.

“You should have just told them you weren’t going but it’s too late now. Fine, I’ll go with you to the reunion and pretend to be your boyfriend. You have to answer the door for the post for the next month though.”

As happy as Phil was that he was getting what he wanted, he couldn’t help but groan over hearing Dan’s conditions. Their postman had the annoying habit of bringing their parcels and packages at eight in the morning. Phil usually stayed in the bed when that happened and let Dan handle it but apparently his best friend was done with that.

He had half a mind to disagree but then thought of how embarrassing it would be to show up to the reunion with no boyfriend after having said he would bring a plus one. Phil would end up having to make up more excuses or, even worse, admit he had lied. What better way to look like a loser than to admit to having made up having a boyfriend?

“Deal”, he said, trying to ignore the smug look on Dan’s face. “Thanks for doing this. I know it’s not everyday your best friend asks you to pretend to be their boyfriend but I really appreciate it. You’ve saved me from a very awkward situation. “

*

Dan had no idea what had possessed him to say yes. Anyone with a brain would say that agreeing to be your best friend’s boyfriend was a terrible idea if you’re in love with said best friend.

For years, he had managed to hide his real feelings from Phil and he had finally gotten to the point where he could accept that his best friend was never going to feel the same way. Dan was perfectly happy pining from afar and daydreaming about scenarios where he actually got the courage to tell Phil the truth.

That all went out of the window the second Phil asked him to pretend to be his boyfriend. At first, he was really convinced that it was all a big joke and Phil was just messing with him. He quickly changed his mind when he saw how upset his best friend seemed to be.

He was going to say no, he really was. Pining from afar was not going to work if he had to pretend him and Phil were actually dating. Not to mention that he had no doubt it would hurt like hell once their arrangement was over and he would have to go back to how things were before.

To get a taste of what things could be like if Phil felt the same way, only to have to forget all about that after a few days, was a sure way for Dan to torture himself. He wanted to help Phil, he really did, but not like this.

He was just about to say just that when he learned of why Phil had gotten himself in this situation. Just hearing Roy’s name was enough for him to understand Phil’s reasoning a little better. His best friend had told him all about Roy in the very beginning of their friendship. He had never hurt Phil physically or done extensive damage but Roy had made it his life mission to tease Phil about anything and everything.

Dan almost wanted to tell Phil that he should not be letting Roy get to him so much after years of not even having seen each other but he knew saying that would make him a hypocrite. He knew better than anyone that you could never quite forget the people who were constantly trying to bring you down at school.

Dan knew that he was going to agree to helping Phil from the second that Roy was mentioned but he figured that he might as well get something out of it. It would be nice to finally be able to sleep in for a few more minutes in the morning without being woken up at eight in the morning to get the post.

He knew that he was very probably going to end up regretting this. Dan also knew that pretending to be Phil’s boyfriend was not going to be as easy as his best friend had made it out to be. They were going to have to act like two people in love and, even though it wouldn’t be a problem at all for Dan, Phil was a completely different situation.

_What if they would have to kiss to make their story more believable?_ Dan didn’t think he could do it. Getting a taste of what he wanted but couldn’t have would only be torture for him and he was scared that Phil would end up figuring it out.

Their friendship was the most important thing in his life. He refused to let a pretend relationship and one-sided feelings ruin what they had. Phil meant too much to him for that.

*       

“Do you think we should come up with a story of how we got together?” Dan asked. They were aboard a train headed to Phil’s hometown for the reunion. Dan could admit that he had warmed up to the idea more as the reunion got closer. He stopped thinking about the risks of Phil finding out the truth and started seeing it more as finally getting a small taste of what he had wanted since he met Phil all those years ago.

Now that the reunion was so close, he couldn’t help but to start feeling a little nervous. Dan had no doubts that they would have no problem acting like a couple. Their viewers already seemed pretty convinced that they were dating so he was sure the people at the reunion would have no trouble believing it.

His only worry was getting their story right. Phil’s old schoolmates would surely ask them a few questions about how they met, how they got together and how long they have been together. The last thing they needed was to be caught off guard and end up giving different answers.

Phil did not seem to be as worried as him. “Is that really necessary? We’ll just go with the truth and just pretend that we started dating shortly after we met instead of just staying good friends," he said with a shrug.

Dan wasn’t sure what was bothering him more out of that. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to be getting more nervous and Phil looked as relaxed as ever. It could also be that Dan didn’t like to think about what could have been but wasn’t.

For years, he had thought about what would have happened if they got together shortly after meeting each other. At that point, Dan was still convinced that all he felt for Phil was a silly crush that would pass with time. Maybe that was why he never said anything about it. How could he have possibly known that after seven years he would be completely head over heels in love with his best friend?

“What if they ask us about how long we’ve been together?” Dan insisted. He didn’t want to go into this feeling unprepared. He had agreed to be Phil’s pretend boyfriend and he was determined to be the best fake boyfriend possible. “Or if they ask us about how we met? Are we going with the truth?”

Phil sighed and put down his phone, finally having caught on the fact that Dan was not going to drop this so easily. “We’ll go with the truth but fix the story a little to include us dating. If they ask us how we met we’ll go with the truth and just add the fact that we started dating shortly after meeting. That would make it easier to answer questions such as how long we’ve been together. Is that okay?”

Dan felt himself calm down at that. They could do this. All they had to do was stick with their original story and just tweak a few details here and there to make it sound as if they had been dating for the seven years they had known each other. No big deal.

“Aren’t you worried about this getting out in the public? They might say something about us being a couple on social media and then all of our subscribers will think we’re actually dating.” Dan had actually been thinking about that ever since Phil brought up the idea of them pretending to be a couple.

He didn’t even want to think about the shit storm it would cause if word somehow got out that they were dating. They would have to pretend to break up and that wasn’t exactly a bridge he was interested in crossing.

Phil seemed to have thought about this before since it didn’t take long for him to come up with a suitable answer. “Most of the people at the reunion don’t really watch youtube. I lost count how many times I had to explain what I do the last time I went to a reunion. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

Dan was just going to have to take his word for it and hope he was right. He was going to have to stop worrying much if he wanted this to work out. Over worrying would only cause him to slip up in some way.

The two friends spent the rest of the train journey talking and dozing off on each other’s shoulders. By the time they arrived in Manchester, Dan felt like he had calmed down considerably and he was ready to face on the people at the reunion. Maybe seeing him and Phil together would show Roy that he had been wrong to mess with Phil back when they were classmates.

Phil’s mum was waiting for them at the station as they arrived and she greeted them both with hugs. “It’s so good to see you two again," she said smiling, although Dan couldn’t help but think that she was looking at him a little differently than usual. “I just wish you would have told me sooner that you’re together. I have to admit, I’ve always suspected, but it’s good to know for sure.”

Dan was at a complete loss. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what Phil’s mum was referring to but he didn’t know why she would think they were dating as well, unless Phil told her. He almost told her that they were not actually dating but he bit his tongue at the last second.

If Phil had told her they were dating, there must have been a reason why and he didn’t want to be blamed for ruining any plans. He tried to get a good look at Phil but it seemed his friend was avoiding his eyes.

It wasn’t until they got in the car that Dan got a text from Phil. _I’m so sorry. I told my mum I was bringing you as my plus one and I think she jumped to conclusions._ It didn’t do much to explain why his mum had come to such a conclusion but at least it was good to know that Phil seemed to be just as confused as him.

Things started getting awkward once they got to Phil’s parents’ house. “I wasn’t born yesterday so I know you two probably share a bed back home. I thought you would like to share Phil’s room while you’re here.”

If Dan hadn’t been feeling embarrassed himself, he would have burst out laughing at seeing Phil’s face turn bright red. They went up to Phil’s old room and Dan made sure to wait until his mum was out of earshot before turning to look at Phil with raised eyebrows. “Mind explaining how your mum decided we’re dating just because I came with you to the reunion?”

Phil didn’t seem to know the answer to that anymore than Dan. “I have absolutely no idea. I think that since I came to the previous reunions on my own she thought that me bringing you meant we’re together.”

Phil knew that his mum was not usually the sort of person to jump to conclusions like this so there must be another reason. He almost wanted to go find her and explain the whole situation to her but he knew there was no time. They had to be at the reunion in an hour and they still had to freshen up from their train journey.

“Look Dan, I know this is asking for a lot, but could we not tell my mum that we’re not actually together for now? We need to be at the reunion soon and I don’t have the time to properly explain the situation to her. I will once this whole mess is over.”

Dan seemed to be a little hesitant but in the end he agreed. “Fine. You’re lucky we’re only staying here one night though. That bed is small and we have to share it. It’s not going to end well," he tried to joke, shaking his head.

Phil couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had a best friend wiling to go to such lengths to help him out. He really had to find a way to make it up to him once they got back home. Phil knew that he had agreed to get the post for the rest of the month but, with his mum now thinking they were an item, he couldn’t help but feel like that wasn’t really enough anymore.

They took turns using the bathroom and, soon enough, they were ready to go to the reunion. Dan felt the need to go over their story one more time before leaving, much to Phil’s annoyance, but they were soon on their way.

The reunion was being organised in the main hall of the school he used to attend and Phil couldn’t help but reminisce over the good memories that he had experienced in this school. He smiled when he caught sight of his old school friends and quickly took Dan’s hand in his before walking over to them.

“Hey guys," he said once he was within hearing distance. “It’s been way too long since I last saw you all.” They exchanged greetings and pleasantries but Phil was no idiot. He knew their focus was on Dan and he couldn’t really blame them. This was going to be the first time introducing them to someone and they were all clearly very curious.

“This is Dan, my boyfriend. Dan, these are the people who made school bearable for me," he said with a little laugh, hoping to break the tension. It seemed to work since they were soon all laughing and having a good time together.

Just as Dan had expected, his friends did ask them usual questions about where they met and how long they have been together but they got through them without a hitch. They all seemed to believe them when they said they had been together for seven years. Both Dan and Phil felt themselves relaxing further with the more time that passed by.

Everything was going great until Roy appeared. “Lester, I didn't think I would actually see you here. And who is this?”

Phil felt his blood turn cold. Even though he had used Roy as an excuse to get Dan to come with him, he hadn’t actually thought he would show up at the reunion. He would have thought that his friends, who knew how much Roy used to pick on him, would have told him that he was going to show up.

Roy was clearly expecting to be introduced to Dan and so Phil reluctantly did so. “Hey Roy, I didn't expect to see you here. This is Dan, my boyfriend.”

Dan immediately perked up at realising the man in front of him was the infamous Roy. He was the reason Phil had even asked him to pretend to be his boyfriend and so he knew that he was going to have to make a good job.

“As if I could miss the chance to see all these people again. I have to admit though that I wasn’t expecting you to show up with some boyfriend no one even knew about," he said, looking Dan up and down.

Phil had no idea from where the sudden feelings of jealousy came from. He was only pretending to be dating Dan and, if Roy wanted to look at him appreciatively, then it shouldn’t have affected Phil in any way.

Deciding to ignore his feelings for the time being, he moved closer to Dan and wrapped his arm around his waist. The last thing he wanted was to give the impression of some jealous and obsessive boyfriend but he wanted to give Roy a clear message. Him and Dan might not actually be dating, but in Roy’s eyes they were so he better stay away.

Back when they were still in school, Roy would make it a game to see what it took to make Phil snap. If Phil got a new phone, Roy made sure to get his parents to buy him an even better one. If Phil got himself a girlfriend, Roy made sure to do whatever it took to either make her break up with Phil or cheat on him with Roy.

Phil wasn’t stupid. Even after all those years, he could still recognise the look on Roy’s face. It was the same look he got back when Phil had gotten his very first girlfriend. Later that week he had caught her kissing him.

If Roy seriously thought that he had any chance with Dan, then he was seriously delusional. They might not be really dating, but Dan knew more than enough about what Roy had done to him in school to know to stay as far away from him as possible.

“You know how it is," Phil said, smiling politely. "Dan happened to have a previous engagement when the last reunion happened so he couldn’t come with me.”

Roy didn’t seem convinced but Phil was not worried. They would just have to be careful of how they acted around him. If his friends had believed their story, then there was no reason why Roy wouldn’t fall for it as well in the end.

Phil was not really interested in hanging around with Roy for the rest of the reunion. The further he and Dan stayed from him, the better. “I think I’m going to show Dan around the place and maybe introduce him to a few other people," he said, excusing himself. He led Dan to the drinks and snacks table, making sure Roy was not following them before saying anything.

“I think that went quite well, don’t you?”

Phil wished he could be as optimistic as Dan. The truth was that it hadn’t gone bad at all. Roy might have not been completely convinced that they were dating, but he was definitely surprised that Phil had actually brought someone with him this time around.

What Phil did not appreciate was the way Roy had looked at his friend. He was no idiot and he knew Roy better than he liked to admit. He had most definitely not mistaken the look he had given his fake boyfriend. Roy was interested in Dan and Phil needed to keep them as far away from each other as possible.

_I’m not jealous_. He kept repeating the same thing in his head over and over again but, the longer he kept saying it, the less convinced he seemed to be. _I just don’t want Dan to end up with the wrong sort, that’s all_. Dan could go with whoever he liked and Phil wouldn’t care, as long as it wasn’t Roy. He didn’t think he could handle seeing his best friend with the same guy who tormented him so much when they were younger. _I can’t really imagine Dan with someone who isn’t Roy either, but that’s besides the point_.

Dan must have noticed that something was not exactly right because he was looking at Phil with worry. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong in front of Roy? I thought we were pretty convincing but I could be wrong.”

Phil rushed to reassure him. After everything that Dan was doing for him by pretending to be his boyfriend, the last thing he wanted was to make him feel as if he wasn’t doing a good enough job. “You did fine, everyone looked convinced. I guess it’s just weird having to see Roy again.” It was not the exact truth but it wasn’t an outright lie either so Phil didn’t feel too bad.

Dan clearly believed him judging by the small smile on his face. “I know he was an ass to you back when you were still in school but I’m sure he regrets that now. I mean, look at you! You’re successful in life, people like you and you have an amazing boyfriend," he said, adding in a cheeky wink for good measure. Phil couldn’t hold back a laugh at that.

His laugh quickly died when he noticed Roy watching them from a distance. Phil wasn’t really sure what came over him. Maybe it was seeing Roy’s attention so clearly on them or maybe it was the fact that he was clearly keeping a closer watch on Dan than on him. All Phil knew was that he went from watching Dan laughing and smiling to pulling him in for a kiss.

Their lips were barely even touching when Phil realised he was making a big mistake. Kissing was not something they had discussed. Sure, they had talked about hugging and staying close to each other throughout the reunion, but kissing was not something that had come to their mind. Phil didn’t think it would be necessary. At least he hadn’t, before he found out about Roy’s interest in his boyfriend. _Fake boyfriend_.

He went to pull back, ways of apologising to Dan already running through his head, but Dan surprised him by wrapping his arms around Phil’s neck and pulling him closer. If you would have told the Phil from a week before that in a few days he would be making out with his best friend at a school reunion he would have laughed.

He should have known that things would be awkward once they pulled back. Dan was staring at him in obvious shock and Phil was left with no words. How was he supposed to explain to Dan that he had kissed him because he was jealous of Roy’s obvious interest in him? They were best friends with no feelings for each other, other than platonic love. He was not supposed to get jealous over people being interested in Dan.

Phil was spared from having to explain himself by his old friend interrupting them. “Hey Phil, I know you’re enjoying yourself over here with your boyfriend but they’re about to take a group photo. Mind taking a break?”

He desperately tried to ignore the way he felt himself turn red when his friend reminded him of just what him and Dan had been doing. Phil just hoped that no one could tell how embarrassed he was actually feeling. “Sure," he said, trying to smile. Phil turned to let Dan know that he was leaving but couldn’t get himself to actually meet his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

Maybe distancing himself from Dan for a few minutes would allow him to clear his head.

*

Dan wasn’t really sure what had just happened. One second he was sharing a laugh with Phil, and the next thing he knows, they were kissing. If it was something that Phil wanted to do to make their act more believable, Dan definitely wouldn’t have disagreed. The fact that they hadn’t even discussed it was what was bothering Dan.

It was so out of the blue that he was left unsure of what to think. On one hand, it was normal for couples to kiss and he was sure that none of Phil’s old schoolmates found it weird. On the other hand, Dan couldn’t stop thinking over the fact that there was no one around when Phil pulled him in for a kiss. No one to convince, at least as far as he knew.

The last thing Dan wanted was to get his hopes up after years of convincing himself that Phil did not feel the same way about him. He just couldn’t help but wonder though if maybe, just maybe, Phil could be the tiniest bit interested in him.

Their kiss had not been one for show, that was for sure. A kiss for show would be a quick peck, maybe a little longer if they wanted to be really convincing. What he and Phil had done a few minutes before was full on making out.

How was he going to find out just what Phil was thinking? Phil avoiding his eyes when he told him that he was off to take a group photo definitely didn’t help things. It only served to make Dan even more confused then he already was. Phil was giving him so many mixed feelings and Dan was at a complete loss.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice coming from beside him. “What’s a guy like you doing by the drinks table all on his own?”

Dan couldn’t believe his bad luck when he realised that it was Roy. After all that Phil had told him about this guy, he wasn’t really interested in dealing with him on his own. “I’m just waiting for Phil to take a group photo with some old friends," he explained, smiling politely.

He wasn’t sure why but Dan was getting the impression that Roy was a little too satisfied with his answer. “You know, there’s a yard just through that door. It’s nothing much but it makes for a good place to get some fresh air. Do you want to join me?”

Dan was going to decline the invitation, he really was, but then he remembered just why Phil wanted him to come to this reunion as his fake boyfriend. He didn’t want to give Roy any more reason to pick on him and having a boyfriend was supposed to help with that. So far, Dan didn’t feel as if he had done much to help out Phil. Maybe that’s why he ended up agreeing and following Roy outside.

Phil was probably going to get done with taking the group photo really soon and then he would come find them outside. In the meantime, Dan was going to make sure to do what he had been invited to and make sure Roy never picked on Phil again.

That was the plan, before Dan realised that Roy was getting a little too close to him for comfort. “I don’t think Phil would appreciate you getting so close," he said, stepping back only to realise that he couldn't have said anything worse. As if Roy gave a damn about what Phil liked and didn’t like.

Dan realised things were getting bad when Roy took a hold of his arm, successfully preventing him from going back inside like he so desperately wanted to do.

“What’s going on here?”

Dan didn’t think he had ever been so glad to hear Phil’s voice before. He quickly pulled his arm away from Roy’s hold while he was distracted and turned to look at Phil. What he saw actually surprised him.

He couldn’t really remember the last time he had seen his best friend look so angry. At first Dan was worried that Phil was angry at him. Maybe he thought Dan had ruined the act and Roy now knew it was all an act.

Looking closer made Dan realised that was not the case at all. Phil was glaring at Roy, not him. “You touch Dan again and I swear I’ll get you back for all the years you picked on me at school. You shouldn’t bother people who are clearly not interested in you. Let’s go Dan.”

Dan really didn’t need to be told twice. He wanted to get as far away from Roy as possible, before he got any other funny ideas in his head and tried to corner him again. He followed Phil back inside and, together, they made their way outside and away from the school.

The walk back to Phil’s parents’ house was awkward. Dan wasn’t sure how to bring up the fact that they had kissed and it did not seem fake and Phil was clearly still upset over what happened back at the school.

It only got more awkward when they finally got back and realised they were going to have to share the bed. They ended up just staring at each other for a few seconds, not really sure what they were supposed to do.

Dan ended up being the one to break the silence. “Why did you kiss me?” he blurted out, instantly regretting it. _Nice going Dan, that’s definitely not going to scare him off or anything_. His fears were only proven right when Phil went back to avoiding his eyes. “I’m not angry, just curious.”

That, at least, seemed to provide Phil with some relief. How could Phil be so oblivious as to think that Dan would be angry over being kissed by him? _It’s not as if I’ve been completely head over heels in love with you for the past seven years or anything_.

“I caught Roy staring at you," Phil finally admitted with a shrug. “He clearly looked interested and Roy always gets what he wants. For years I had to live with him taking whatever I wanted from me and I don’t really care anymore, I’m over it. But I couldn’t let him take you as well.”

Dan almost said something about not being an object to be won by Roy when he realised just what Phil had just admitted to. “What does that even mean?” All thoughts of not getting his hopes up went out of the window when he realised what Phil had just hinted at. Could it be possible that after years of pining and hiding his feelings, he could finally admit the truth to his best friend?

Phil finally looked at him, trying to gauge Dan’s reaction. If they weren’t in such a crucial situation, Dan would have hit Phil in the head. How could he ever think that his feelings wouldn’t be mutual?

“It means that I want you Dan. I like you. I think it’s always been there but you know I’m bad at this sort of thing. Then we started this whole pretend relationship and everything changed. I started thinking of what it would be like if we really were together rather than just pretend. When I caught Roy looking at you like that, I lost it. That’s when I kissed you. I understand if you don’t feel the same way and I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult positio-“

Dan couldn’t find it in himself to stand there and listen to what Phil was saying for any longer without doing anything. What better way to cut Phil off than to pull him in for another kiss? They had seven whole years to make up for after all. “I love you," Dan mumbled against Phil’s lips. He knew that it was too soon and he might even end up regretting it eventually but, at the moment, he didn’t care. He just needed a way to make Phil understand that he definitely felt the same way.

Phil smiled against his lips and wasted no time in kissing him again. “I think I should really send Roy a thank you card. This definitely wouldn’t have happened without him," Phil said, getting a laugh from Dan.

So maybe Phil hadn’t said he loved him but Dan was okay with that. They had all the time in the world to get to that. They were just going to enjoy being together. For real this time.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Was it worth the wait? I sweated blood over this fic I swear so I really, really hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you think :)
> 
> P.S. I don't think I need to say this but, just in case: Roy is a person that I completely invented, name and actions. So no one get offended please.


End file.
